"Foolish human."

The voice reverberated through the cavernous hall, magnified unbearably. It seemed to be coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time, a deep rumble that made gooseflesh rise up her arms.

Calm indigo eyes stared at her from underneath – her own reflection, mirrored in the smooth white expanse beneath her feet. It stretched outward amongst thick columns, which disappeared high above to an endless ceiling and in between them hung countless chains. Recognition dawned on her instantaneously; she had been here before on more than one occasion – her own subconscious, constructing itself in an image born from her perceptions, although she could never consciously acknowledge the significance of its exact current shape.

With a sense of resignation she began to turn, knowing full well what would be behind her, just as it always had been. The surface she had stepped on rippled beneath her shifting weight, distorting her image into a jagged caricature.

It wasn't her twisted reflection that pinned her attention, however, but the ornate gates behind her, stretching higher than the eyes could follow. A binding seal stood between them instead of a lock, the very air around it shimmering imperceptibly with the weight embedded in it – the absolute binding chain.

Once again she met her dim reflection, this time mirrored in the enormous pupil of the terrifying creature that lay behind the elaborate gates. One single eye was staring at her, its preposterous size alone making her falter in her step; for a second, Kushina had forgotten how massive this terrible creature was; how absolutely sickening its hatred-filled stare; how imposing its malignant presence.

Pure terror locked her in place, panic surging as the memories from that night rushed back unbidden – the very same creature wreaking havoc on her home, the air reeking of despair, suffocating her before a blazing claw descended towards her son-

"You despise me," came the same rumbling voice, a hint of amusement in the echo dancing off the walls.

"Does that surprise you?" she managed to choke out, voice laden with animosity.

"It entertains me. Your reasons are peculiar."

Surprise spilled on her face. Never in the few years during which she had shared her consciousness with the beast did it occur to her that it had an intimate access to her thoughts without her immediate permission, as it seemed to be hinting at now. Was it possible?

"You know?"

"Do not look down on me, human. I may not share your petty thoughts, but I know your emotions. I thrive in hatred and yours is strong and rooted. It is old. You are not the child successor that the Uzumaki hag promised."

"I am a child."

"Are you?" it said, one giant eye lowering towards the watery substance at her feet and she felt compelled to follow that look, meeting her own reflection once again.

For the first time she recognised its peculiarity, something, which out of habit she had initially ignored - an older woman stood there, with fiery hair reaching past her thighs. The image she had of herself, the true form of the mind of someone who was very well past the age of eleven. Her body might have been that of a child but her subconscious constructed an image that reflected her psyche.

"I had no choice," she said finally; an empty excuse, spoken for her own sake rather than anyone else's; it had been weighing on her from the inside without her even realising it, the fear that her interference would end disastrously.

But she had had little choice – she had never wished for this second chance; in her last hour she had truly embraced death after all, but death had spat her right back out.

"You chose to fight death." the fox grumbled and a sense of finality came with its words as a sliver of memories invaded her mind, blurred and jagged.

A desperate fight to retain a sense of existence in a sea of agony, a struggle to hold onto herself even as the warmth of life left her. The most overpowering instinct on earth – survival. She had thought being sent back here was unavoidable. Had she truly had a choice? And if so, had she known the consequences of that choice, would she have chosen differently?

"You are tampering with powers beyond your control and you will ultimately fail. A world without pain is impossible, that is why creatures like me exist."

"Funny you should say that, being locked up and all, ya know." she snapped back perhaps more irately than necessary after the sudden revelation.

"Forcing a single entity to endure the pain that otherwise many would, does not erase its existence."

A gulp, the words bearing down on her with their weight.

"That is why I was sent back, to find a way-"

One massive eyelid descended, hiding the fiery iris from sight as a rolling rumble filled the premise. Through stunned silence the girl realised that it was snickering.

"You cannot gain anything without sacrificing something in return. You know it, don't you? Else why would you be here right now?"

She gulped, forcefully steadying her trembling fingers. Why was it affecting her so badly now, this creature that she had grown to despise?

"What's it to you anyway, what happens to me, ya know?"

The giant eye before her narrowed dangerously as if the Kyūbi was frowning; its muzzle bristled, skin pulling back to reveal razor sharp teeth, each as big as her whole figure.

"Do you think your petty life matters to me, a Tailed Beast? You are nothing but a morsel in my eyes, I would swallow you whole if not for this cage!"

An involuntary shiver ran down her back as the creature's hot breath assaulted her nostrils, choking her. It reeked of malice so overwhelming that she might have buckled and hurled had she never felt it before; had she not grown accustomed to the hatred dwelling inside. With a jolt, it dawned on her – this fear that she felt was born out of a misfortunate accident that she was sent here to prevent; an accident that would never occur again.

Right now, in this reality, this creature could not harm her, nor the people that she loved.

"Listen here, furball." she began, voice steadily gaining strength, "Whether you like it or not, you are stuck with me and that cage is not going down, ya know! So you better get used to this morsel, because she ain't going anywhere! Just you watch, ya know! I'll save everyone, you'll see!"

"Foolish human. For every life you save you will lose another and I will sit here and watch you drown in blood until hatred consumes you and you tear that seal open yourself."


Wind whistled past him, beating at his face, making his eyes water as he flew through the branches at a blinding speed, not even noticing the numerous scrapes in his skin; the high speed was giving him less mobility, the foliage around him reminding him of that with a viciousness.

Minato couldn't care less.

One step and then another, his muscles burning from the effort, breath coming out in ragged huffs, the agony of overexerting himself having been a constant ache for more than an hour.

It was all irrelevant, pushed to the back of his mind by the overruling sense of urgency, of dread, of fear and of loss, of failure, because he had failed to protect and now she was gone and he had been too slow-

"Minato!" Tora's cry came faintly from somewhere far behind him, the boy not possessing the speed that he could will upon.

The wind stole his words, the gold-haired boy pushing chakra to his feet for an increased pace, branches cracking beneath his steps. The trees up ahead ended abruptly, followed by a vast expanse of tall grass and Minato braced himself for the last leap that would send him across one third of it before he switched into a flat run.

This had to be it, he was certain; they had gone this way and if only he could be a little faster, just a tad bit more-

He never got to make the jump.

One grizzled arm wrapped around his torso and broke his momentum in a wild swirl. His breath left him in a huff, stomach heaving at the unexpected resistance and he reeled back in instinct, ready to strike at the enemy constricting him.

A shock of white hair stilled him in place, the stern face of his sensei staring back at him, lips pursed in a thin line.

"That's enough, Minato." the quiet voice came, like a whiplash in the ensuing silence.

Deciding that he must have heard wrong, the boy ignored him, making to shrug off the arm restraining him and go past him, only to have Jiraiya tighten his grip, securely locking him in place.

"Sensei!" Minato half-snarled, turning to face the man through crazed eyes.

They were wasting time and with every following second she was slipping further away and if they didn't hurry it would be too late and here his sensei was, taking a break?

For a moment, he had to suppress the irrational urge to yell at the white-haired man for not having been there earlier; an absurd notion, for it wasn't Jiraiya's fault that he had been appointed a mission. In fact, it spoke enough of the man's dedication if he had managed to catch up with the pursuit teams, despite it being too late.

Now, with his help, they had finally located the right track, but it had been too late and all of it would be for naught if they wasted more time like this and-

"Stop and think, brat. You know what this place is." the Sannin growled.

Next to them the branches creaked as Tora finally caught up, skidding to a violent and an ungraceful stop.

"Wait up you moron. We're a team, we should proceed together-"

"No one is proceeding anywhere."

For a split second the dark-haired boy simply gawked at him as if his sensei had just spat living snakes.

"If you expect me to go back just because it's the border while she is still out there-" Minato began, voice shaking with the anger he was trying to contain.

He could feel Tora's eyes on him, the boy taken aback by the uncharacteristic outburst; to have calm, collected Minato reduced to such an ire-filled state must have been a sight to behold.

"I damn well do, brat. Going beyond this point is entering enemy territories and you know the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning are not on good terms. Entering without permission, even if in pursuit, could have far-reaching consequences for both our nations if done carelessly."

"Hey, hey, what do you mean far-reaching consequences? They kidnapped one of our own! what's more far-reaching than that, huh?" Tora bellowed from behind him, hands balling into fists. "Kushina-san's annoying and she is always teasing me, but she's sort of cool. I can't let them just take her! Screw them and their consequences, I want my teammate back and look at Minato! Even he can't hold it together! What sensei are you if you'll just abandon your student, huh? Didn't you say that teammates fight for each other, huh? Or was that just empty talk, huh?"

Tora's outburst might have been impressive and touching had Minato's mind not locked on a single word from his sensei's explanation that lit a beacon of hope within the madness of desperation.

Inhaling a deep breath to steady himself, he pulled back, giving Jiraiya a measured look and his sensei finally released him, keeping a stern eye out in case his student decided to make a run for it. With a grimace, the boy lifted one hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, willing the tension away, fighting for a grasp at the rationality that had always ruled his senses.

"Entering enemy territories would have far-reaching consequences if done carelessly." he repeated quietly, completely ignoring his teammate.

Next to him, Jiraiya nodded through a sharp look at his other student.

"We are not going to abandon anyone. However, ever since the enemy crossed that border, our mission changed from Retrieve and Rescue to Infiltration and we are not prepared for one of such magnitude. We need a plan; we need information and for the love of all the Gods above, you two brats need to get it together or you will get us all killed."

A few seconds passed during which Tora stared at him with a sceptical look, as if suspecting Jiraiya was attempting to trick him into retreat.

"So what now, then?" he asked finally.

"We will gather information and infiltrate the enemy village in the following days. For now, however, we return to Konoha and report a failed mission. Kumogakure has Kushina Uzumaki." his sensei said levelly and for the first time, Minato found himself thinking clearly enough to notice the raw emotion brimming just below the surface of the seemingly flat voice; Jiraiya was just as affected by this as they all were, a quiet rage boiling behind the stony mask of the sensei.

The blond-haired boy gulped, feeling a sudden twinge of relief that he wouldn't be in the place of those kidnappers when Jiraiya of the Sannin got his hands on them.

On his side, Tora sagged down on his knees, staring ahead listlessly.

"We failed…" the dark-haired boy murmured, one hand clenching into a fist as he brought it down against the bark he was kneeling on.

"They won't have her. I swear, they will not have her. We will get her back." Minato said through clenched teeth, as much for himself as he did for his sensei and Tora.

Jiraiya nodded from across him before signalling their retreat.


She jolted upwards, blinking rapidly at the angry light stabbing at her retina. A groan rolled off her lips as a hand shot up instinctively to caress a bruise on her side that was now throbbing viciously.

A part of her registered through surprise the fact that her hands were not bound, as if internally she had expected them to be; along with that startling realization rushed back the memories of an unexpected attack in the middle of the night, an attack that shouldn't have taken place until a year ahead.

No sooner had she reached to the obvious conclusion that she had been kidnapped (again) than her eyes had swept her surroundings, trying to make out what had happened after the disgraceful black-out. Fingers reached instinctively for a kunai pouch that was not there, hand brushing against the empty binds of her thigh instead.

She was lying (now sitting after her violent jump, result of the jolting conversation with Kyūbi) in a bed in an unfamiliar room, the premise in itself consisting of modest furniture for basic living needs – a table, a chair, a wardrobe and a few shelves. Nothing about it spoke of a particular nationality and the lack of any windows whatsoever made it next to impossible to pinpoint her location right away.

For the briefest of seconds, she allowed herself to entertain the thought that perhaps she had been found after all – she was not in a cage as was expected of a prisoner; on the contrary, this room was quite comfortable, despite Kushina being certain that she had never set foot in it before.

What's more, her hands were not bound; very few enemies would take the risk to leave her alone and the room was very much empty save for herself. Perhaps she was with friends after all; surely someone had rescued her – maybe not Minato this time, seeing as there was no red trail to lead him, but perhaps someone else. She was quite valuable to Konoha after all –for one reason or another – and she liked to entertain the thought that the council would have sent everyone and anyone available to retrieve her; not to mention having a Legendary Sannin as a sensei this time around – someone had to have stopped them on time.

The elation didn't last long as her mind presented the unpleasant fact that first, her sensei had been away from Konoha for more than a week now and wouldn't return until another one rolled by (in fact, come to think of it, the timing of this attack had been dreadfully precise).

Second, she finally recognised the weariness seeping in her muscles, the stinging emptiness thrumming on the inside.

She couldn't feel her chakra.

Suppressed by some sort of seal probably, and quite a powerful one too if she was so chakra-deprived that even her body felt more sluggish than usual.

There are your shackles, she thought bitterly, and this is your cage.

Who was she fooling; Minato had managed to save her just in the nick of time before, for no self-respecting shinobi would wade alone past the border into a foreign land. This time, with no trail leading him – or anyone else really – they wouldn't have made it on time. The reason that those shinobi had managed to whisk her away in the first place was their successful ambush; the brilliant way in which they had concealed their presence even from someone as experienced as her. Without a doubt, they were proficient at hiding their tracks, which was why they had been sent in the first place, after all.

Panic started snaking down her frame before she willed herself in control, closing her eyes and commanding a steady breathing – a clear head, the shinobi's strongest weapon in situations like these. Through clenched teeth, she had to finally face the indisputable fact: her plan had failed; she was, likely, in Kumogakure.

As if to confirm that revelation, the lock on the door across from her clicked and her muscles tensed, preparing to make a launch for it if the opportunity presented itself. Her guards couldn't be above ANBU level and she had had dealings with those before, she knew how to handle them; distract them, take advantage of difference in height, get her hands on a kunai, kill, dash past them, repeat.

It would be simple enough if she reacted instantaneously, before anyone expected her to; they would think her either still asleep or disorientated, not to mention a child; as soon as she got out of this dreadful room she would locate the seal binding her and break it – she was an Uzumaki after all, and the bearer of Kyūbi no less; did they really think they could contain her here-

Her mind froze in stunned surprise as the door swung open, revealing someone whose level was anything but equal to an ANBU's; her limbs locked in place, all plans for a surprise attack forgotten.

After all, there was very little that a chakra-deprived eleven-year-old could do against the Third Raikage.

Silence settled in the room for the briefest of seconds before Kushina jumped to her feet despite the weariness and backtracked to the opposite side of the room, tiredness all but forgotten as she moved on willpower alone; the instinct of self-preservation guided her as crazed eyes fixed on the intimidating man before her.

She had never seen Kumo's third leader before, but the tales of his prowess were enough to put anyone on edge; despite believing them to have been greatly exaggerated, she couldn't help but gulp visibly under the weight of that stern look. The man himself proved to be quite imposing, sporting a brawny figure that promised pain to anyone daring to cross him and while Kushina was fully aware that physical strength was hardly the determining factor in a shinobi duel, there was something in his presence alone that spoke of power beyond her limitations.

In this case, in my current state, I am hilariously outclassed, was the only conclusion she could make, hand twitching for a non-existent weapon.

Fighting bare-handed against the monstrosity that appeared to be the Sandaime Raikage was madness; yet she had no choice. There was really only one thing that Kumogakure could want with her and that was the Bijū sealed within her. She had hoped that she would be given a day or two of respite – time needed for preparation for the Bijū extraction – time during which she could make her escape.

Kumo, however, seemed to be jumping straight into the fray of it, giving her – and her village for that matter – little chance to retaliate and get her back. She had to admit to the sense of it; it was a strategic move and, had she been in the Raikage's position, she would likely have done the same.

For why else would the village's leader be visiting her alone now, if not to whisk the Kyūbi away from her as soon as possible and consequently kill her in the process? After all, the more he waited, the higher the chance of Jiraiya's sudden appearance was and she was certain that the Sannin wouldn't sit this one out.

Regardless, said perverted bawdy teacher was probably still miles away and at the time being, chakra-less and unarmed, she was quite helpless against one of the five Kage.

Her hands balled into fists subconsciously. Overpowered she might be, but she'd be rotten if she was about to go down without a fight. Death was hardly what scared her in this case; she had, after all, welcomed death once – there was a certain feeling of liberation that came with that fact, as if she had accepted the inevitable end that would someday befall her; at such a time, Kushina would smile again and greet it as an old friend.

She wanted to believe though, that that time was not today. She needed to believe that, in the name of the goals she had set – yes, death did not scare her, but failure to protect, failure again, terrified her like nothing else ever had.

Instead of jumping in for the fight Kushina had tensed for, the Raikage simply eyed her critically for a few long moments before making his way to the lone chair in the room, his sinewy figure slumping heavily in it. A stern look regarded her under bushy furrowed eyebrows for an immeasurable amount of time while the girl held her stance coiled as a spring, waiting for the slightest indication of an attack.

It never came, her tangible distress being met with a grim frown instead.

"Well, will you stand there whole day? You look like a cornered animal." the man spat out finally and his voice was surprisingly void of animosity or antagonism, as if killing her was not on the top of his agenda for the day.

Then again, a boot wouldn't usually feel particularly strongly towards the ant it crushed.

Her silence must have told him enough because the man sighed, placing one grizzled hand on his thigh.

"Relax, girl. No harm will come to you."

She could only blink in confusion towards him, not so much because of the words spoken, but because he seemed to genuinely believe that they would put her at ease. In what world did a cornered mouse feel reassured when the cat smiled pleasantly at it?

Not budging a muscle, she decided that stubborn silence would do her little good either and this man didn't seem to possess the virtue of patience. If nothing else, she could at least stall for time and pray that by some divine miracle Jiraiya would find her sooner rather than later. Who knew when the Raikage would tire of his game at pleasantries and decide to go about his business – meaning the seal on her stomach.

"Why did you kidnap me?" she fired back instantaneously, hoping beyond hope that this had all been a giant coincidence; that they would request a ransom and be done with it.

The man regarded her for a long moment, scratching his chin as if in thought.

"Kidnap is hardly the word I would use…" he started and the girl could barely stop herself from gaping at his audacity. "I would like to think of it as us extending our hospitality."

"You took me forcefully from my home, knocked me out and dragged me back to a foreign village against my will." she said briskly, disbelief colouring her words. Was he toying with her?

"Which pretty much sums up what Konoha did to you five years ago, does it not? So tell me, why do you regard that village as the home you're being kidnapped from, and not as the kidnappers that we seem to be in your eyes?"

Kushina could only stare, eyes growing wide as the accusatory words she had meant to fling at him all died out. Of course, to this man, her devotion for Konoha would be nonsensical – there was no way for him to know that she had already spent a lifetime in that village with those people she had grown to trust and love; there was no way for him to know that she had fallen in love there, had married and had had a son; for him she had been there no more than a couple of years, a time even shorter than her brief childhood in Uzu; a time not long enough to form permanent ties.

Furthermore, there was a truth to his words that she faced with a dose of bitterness, twisting her lips in an expression of distaste.

"They never knocked me out." she said finally, finding herself at a lack for any other logical counterarguments.

The man stared back at her flatly, the challenge readable in his features.

"Do you think they wouldn't have if you had fought back?"

Cold was sneaking down her figure, numbing her.

"They never bound my chakra with seals."

"No, they bound your will with pretty words of home instead, and with friends to play with; trying to make you feel comfortable in a village that used you for your Jinchūriki prowess." the man said evenly, as if daring her to contradict.

Alright, so him being oblivious to her status of a Jinchūriki was out of the question, not that it hadn't been a long shot in the first place.

Now that all cards were on the table, Kushina felt anger starting to bubble somewhere in her stomach; anger for the open hypocrisy of the man who had taken her forcefully and dared explain to her as if explaining to a child that Konoha were in fact the evil doers and he had rescued the princess from their claws.

"You mean you are not trying to do the same?"

"Of course I am." he said as casually as if he were discussing the weather outside, leaning back in his chair. "But I am offering you something, which I am certain Konoha never did – honesty. You have a lot of potential, Kushina Uzumaki. You proved it no more than a year ago when you almost single-handedly obliterated a team of my men. On top of it all, you are a Jinchūriki and not just any Jinchūriki, but the host of the most powerful Bijū known to man. You would be an asset to any village's shinobi force and just like Konoha attempted to groom you for theirs, I would like to groom you for mine."

Her jaw might have hit the floor had it been anatomically possible, eyes wide like saucers. Never in her life had she heard someone speak so bluntly, much less so a man in a position of power; Hiruzen Sarutobi had always dressed his words accordingly and even Minato had retained the same habit of diplomatic accuracy when dealing with matters of national importance.

This factor seemed to be alien to the sturdy man before her and on second thought, it finally dawned on her: why the hell not? She was in no position to overpower him and speak of his plans before others, even if said plans were quite confusing.

For the first time since the Raikage entered, she allowed herself to relax ever so slightly, tensed muscles easing up into an unnaturally straight posture, retaining the distance just in case.

"You… don't plan on killing me?"

The man's eyebrows mashed in an irritated scowl.

"And why would I do that? You are an ideal match for the Bijū you carry, you are in control; we would be hard-pressed to find a more suitable host even if we tried and it might take us years. Killing you is impractical, unless you give me a reason to."

She could almost hear the click as everything fell into place; the comfortable room and open manner suddenly all made sense. Of course, he would assume her connection to Konoha was not as deep-rooted as it in fact was; the man couldn't even begin to imagine what a twisted situation his captive – nay, his guest – was in. To him, she was just as likely to get accustomed to Kumo as she was likely to do so with Konoha; persuading her to actually stay willingly must have seemed like child's play.

With a twinge of unease, she realised that some years ago, in a life she had left behind, it might have been just as easy as it seemed to this man now – her ties to Konoha had been rickety at best in that other timeline when Kumo had kidnapped her and, without Minato's interference, she might have indeed seriously considered the man's words. As things were now, however, she continued staring at him as if he were describing the most improbable of events.

Her, staying in Kumo? Voluntarily? Now, when she had been given a second chance to protect the people she loved; deciding now to stay away from them? This had to be a joke.

"And… if I say no?"

The Raikage sighed – an exasperated, annoyed huff that rolled off his chest deeply.

"Then you will force me to extract that damn fox out of you and no matter how many spirals you have in your blood, you will probably die. I have no quarrel with you, girl, but I need this Bijū for the prosperity of my village and I have no use for a caged Jinchūriki that refuses to cooperate." he said sternly before a certain mellowness softened his eyes and for the first time since his arrival Kushina considered the man's honest reluctance about harming her.

A swift move and the Raikage was once again on his feet, having utilized a speed that could rival that of the man bearing the title of Yondaime Hokage in a different world. Once again, the girl stiffened in place, instinctively bracing herself for a hit that never came. Instead, the man pulled himself to his full height, regarding her with a heavy look.

"Before you decide I am threatening you, let me assure you, I am not. I am simply stating the facts as they are; you should be aware of the consequences of your choice. I extend to you the hospitality of Kumogakure. My village can become the home you lost and all of my shinobi will view you as one of our own; as your leader, I will guide you with honour and pride; you will become one of us, a part of a family who always protect one another, not as tools, but as humans of great capacity. You won't simply be the Jinchūriki, but a shinobi, who can proudly call Kumogakure her home."

With those words, Sandaime Raikage turned to leave, a pair of incredulous violet eyes following his retreat, boring into the wide shoulders and the authority which this man easily commanded.

And despite the horrible situation she was in and the ridiculous offer, she couldn't stop herself from feeling a twinge of respect for the man who had borne himself with such dignity and treated her as an adult despite her alleged age. Yes, in a different timeline she might have most honestly considered his words for long enough to make a different choice.

"I will expect your answer soon." he said and closed the door, leaving it obviously unlocked.

Arrogance, or trust? There was only one way to find out.